Former US President Barack Obama‘s visit to the USA men’s basketball team went viral for resembling an iconic Key & Peele Skit from 2014.
In the comedy central skit, Jordan Peele plays the role of Obama after giving a presidential address. While greeting a line of onlookers, he proceeds to formally shake hands with white fans while giving hugs and multi-layered handshakes to black members of the audience.
On Wednesday, the real-life Obama appeared to embody the skit while sending off the team of NBA stars to the Olympic Games in Paris later this month.
The viral clip shows the former president giving casually snappy handshakes, paired with hugs, to Anthony Edwards, Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.
After greeting the players, Obama approached the coaching staff with firm and formal handshakes – as the Obama character did with none-black spectators in the skit.
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The latter group included Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
Several users were quick to reference the clip’s uncanny resemblance to the skit. While reposting the video, Barstool Sports wrote that ‘Obama broke out the old Key and Peele playbook.’
‘It is literally exactly how the skit went. Wow,’ a user wrote.
‘Word for word, bar for bar,’ said another.
‘He knew exactly what he was doing,’ a third commented while a fourth asked: ‘Life imitating art, or art imitating life?’
Nevertheless, Obama went on to deliver a message for the players while proclaiming a new title for himself.
‘It is true I am the Hooper-in-Chief,’ he opened his remarks. ‘I just want to come here to help sent off the soon-to-be gold medal winners. We invented this game and I don’t like it when we don’t win.’
‘Assuming they play as a team, our talent will be unmatched. I’m confident that they’ll be bringing back the gold and representing us the way we should be represented around the world.’
The Americans will open the group stage against Serbia on the 28th. They will then face South Sudan on the 31st and Puerto Rico on the 3rd of August.